Not quite satisfied with the features that your home theater receiver has to offer? If you’ve ever found yourself connecting your PC to your home theater because the big, dumb Blu-Ray player refuses to play a certain format… it’s time to upgrade to an HTPC.
HTPC stands for Home Theater PC; essentially a full fledged computer in the guide of a media receiver. For the user interface, many open source and proprietary solutions exist which let you do more than just play music and movies. But, a great home theater PC needs a case to match. Here are few of the best HTPC cases in the market right now.
1. Thermaltake DH104
Featuring an all aluminium front panel design, the DH104 comes loaded with features like 7 inch touch screen module, 10 hot key buttons, volume control knob, USB 2.0 ports and a remote control. Two silent fans along with well designed ventilation keep it cool at all times.
Form factor: ATX, Micro ATX
2. Moneual MonCaso 972
Moneual makes some of the best HTPC cases, the MonCaso 972 features an all-aluminium chassis with a high quality of finish on knobs and instrumentation panel. Front panel includes the volume knob along with a 7 inch touch screen, USB 2.0 port, 3.5 mm earphone out jack, and even multiple card readers.
Form factor: ATX
3. Antec Fusion Remote Max
If expandability and space is what you’re after, go for this dark and menacing case from Antec. With room enough to house two graphics card, this chassis really allows the enthusiast to build a powerful setup. 5 drive bays and 7 expansion slots make sure upgrading is never a hassle. The front bezel comes with an LCD display.
Form factor: ATX, Mini ATX, Micro ATX
4. Silverstone GD01MX
The GD01MX sports a rather clean and spartan front panel with an LCD display, 52-in-1 card reader internal space for two 6 hard drives (for up to 4.5 Terabytes of data storage) and two optical drive slots. Anti-vibration drive mounts along with low noise exhaust fans ensure a quiet operation.
Form Factor: ATX, Micro ATX
5. Coolermaster CM Media 281
This is the only convertible case on this list, which means that you can stand it right up and it becomes a regular cabinet. You don’t get an LCD panel or an array of buttons, but you do get a great, minimal design with eight air ventilation areas with space enough for two graphics cards and up to 5 HDDs.
Form factor: ATX, Micro ATX
6. Wesena E6V
The E6V is a compact, no nonsense HTPC case sporting a VFD display, power buttons and one exposed optical drive slot up front. The front bezel hides USB 2.0 ports and a multi-card reader. Available in silver and black, E6V is a good case if you’re looking for a decent balance between size and performance.
Form factor: Mini ATX, Micro ATX
7. Lian Li PC-C60
With 7 slots for PCI cards, 8 slots for HDDs, USB 3.0 ports, and two 140 mm intake fans on the right, the Lian Li PC-C60 is one powerhouse of an HTPC case. Little details like rubberized case stands and interior anti-vibration springs for slots point towards the underlying quality that has gone into the design and construction of this case.
Form factor: ATX, Mini ATX, Micro ATX
8. Streacom FC10
Is sleek what you’re after? Go for the FC10, definitely the slimmest and most straightforward design in this list. It sports a sandblasted finish and means business no matter which angle you look at it from. Don’t be fooled by the size though, there’s room for 5 HDDs and an optical drive with two side facing USB 3.0 compatible ports. A fanless design means no whirring sounds from anywhere.
Form factor: ATX, Mini ATX, Micro ATX
9. Zalman HD503
This here, is a fabulous piece of engineering. Tool free trays which support HDD hot-swap means that installing, dismantling and upgrading this system is a breeze, while rubber pads make sure that vibrations and harmonic resonance is kept at a minimum. The media control interface consists of an LCD display, volume control and multimedia buttons. There are jacks to attach a Mic and connect your earphones along with two USB 2.0 ports.
Form factor: ATX, Micro ATX
10. GlacialTech Altair A381
The A381 is a good all rounder HTPC case featuring an aluminium construction, 4.3 inch LCD display, front I/O ports, hot keys, and a volume knob. There’s space for two 3.5 inch HDDs and one visible slot for an optical drive.
Form factor: ATX, Micro ATX
About Vishveshwar Jatain
VJ is the associate editor of wireframe. He loves writing, cooking, technology, life hacks, weird people, strange things, and his alone time. When not creating a ruckus about the rampant misuse of apostrophes, he can be found writing stories about startups, entrepreneurship and social web.
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